Escape
by PirateAngel1286
Summary: Will and two other boys find themselves in a worrisome situation. Oneshot Pre-COTBP


Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

I was having loads of writer's block with all of my other stories (an absolutely horrible feeling) so a friend of mine sort of gave me an idea and I just ran with it. This is a bit more random than my usual fare so I hope you enjoy it. I would say Will's about 13 in this fic so it's pre-COTBP.

* * *

Will Turner and Mr. and Mrs. Brown were finished with a late supper for the evening. Since there hadn't been enough time during the day, Mrs. Brown was giving Will a few extra reading lessons at the now clean table.

"O happy dagger! This is thy she-sh..."

"Sound it out William," Mrs. Brown said.

"She-eath. Sheath; there rust, and let me die."

"Excellent."

Will was about to continue when Mr. Brown came into the room having finished his post-meal cigar. "Turner, I need you to run an errand for me."

Will looked up from his book and shut it. "Me? What would you like me to do, sir?"

"I need you to deliver a letter to the Dock master about a shipment I'm expecting. Think you can handle it?"

"Yes sir," the boy said.

He wasn't about to go against whatever his Master asked of him. He was only a guest in the house until he finished with his apprenticeship and could (hopefully) have his own shop. Mr. Brown quickly scribbled something on a piece of parchment and handed it to Will.

"Be careful William," Mrs. Brown shouted as Will slammed the door shut behind him.

**

* * *

**Walking along the path away from the town and closer to the docks, Will could have sworn he heard someone walking behind him. He looked back once but no one was there so he continued. A pebble hit him on the back of the head so Will turned again. Again, no one...

He turned and a boy, a couple of years younger yet still taller than Will, with short sandy brown hair and blue eyes stood in front of him with his arms crossed. "Hello Willy-boy; you're out rather late this evening," the boy said with a smirk.

"Hullo Nicholas," Will said casting his eyes downward to look at his shoes.

"What's that you've got there," Nick (as he preferred to be called) said as he took the letter out of Will's hands and ran away with it.

"Get back here!" Will said chasing after him. He followed Nick, who was laughing, down an alley where Will was then jumped by someone else who decided to sit him. "Let me go," Will said trying to push the other person off.

"Did you hear that Nick," a new voice said, "the Baby wants me to get up."

Will knew that voice. It belonged to Gabe the watchmaker's son who also happened to be Nick's best friend.

"Aww," Nick said coming close, "do you want him to get up Baby?"

Will struggled for a few more seconds before he finally managed to squeeze his way out. He made to grab the letter out of Nick's hand but he quickly passed it to Gabe who took off running. Will had no other option but to follow after him.

Unlike Nick, Gabe was Will's age and already taller than both Will and Nick. He had dark brown hair and dark eyes to match. His family lived on the poor side of town while Nick, who was also running, lived where the other middle class did.

"Give it back!" Will shouted.

"Why; what is it? Another love letter to _Miss Swann._"

"Give it back!"

"Make me."

Will made to push Gabe but the boy moved out of the way and Will fell flat on his stomach. Gabe passed the letter to Nick and the two took off running again. Will got back on his feet and went after them. They got ahead of him and went down another alley.

Turning a corner, Will finally spotted the two bullies and another man. He was talking to the bullies but something seemed to be a bit off with the situation. Will tried to hide but the man (whomever he was) spotted him right away. He walked away from the boys and pulled Will out into the open.

"There's three o' ye eh?" the man said with a gravelly voice.

Will got to his feet and the man pushed him to stand by Gabe and Nick. He then cocked a pistol and stepped aside.

"Nice and slowly now," he said waving the gun outside of the alley.

Will and the boys looked at each other and did as the man asked. Out of the alley and in proper moonlight, Will, Gabe and Nick all looked to see just what this man looked like. His clothes were in tatters and he was filthy. He smelled of rum and tobacco (among other things). He sneered and they all faced forward again.

"Do you think he's drunk?" Gabe whispered to Nick.

"Probably," Nick said.

"What about Turner?"

"I don't trust this guy at all. No one gets left behind. Turner gets out when we get out."

Will unconsciously let out the breath he was holding.

"Turn the corner and go in the first door," the man said.

They walked inside and the man shut the door and locked them all in.

"What are you going to do with us?" Will asked.

"Get in the corner the three o' you. I'll be back," the man said. He walked through another door and shut it.

"What do we do?" Gabe whispered.

"We have to try and escape," Nick said as if it was obvious.

"Yeah but how?" Will asked.

"We'll come up with something. And fast because we don't know how long this guy will take."

"I've got an idea," Gabe said with an evil grin.

**

* * *

**The door opened and the man walked into the room to find Gabe sitting, back to the wall, head bowed, breathing very heavily and even sweating. Meanwhile the other two boys leaned over him.

"What's wrong wit 'im?" the man asked.

"Something's wrong sir. He's got a fever and I think he's delusional. Having hallucinations," Will said.

"Might've caught something while we were swimming earlier," Nick added trying to sound unsure.

The man pushed the two boys out of the way so he could lean over Gabe. Gabe reached out a hand and touched the man's forehead.

"I'm sure you have a fascinating brain inside there sir," Gabe said very calmly (almost to the point of being eerily so), "I would very much like to have a look at it."

"What's all this about?" the man said trying to step back slowly.

"I believe you're broken sir," Gabe continued sitting up and still touching the head, "Perhaps I might be able to fix you. I am rather good with my hands. I am the watchmaker's boy." Gabe smirked sinisterly.

"You're barking mad!" The man turned to see Will and Nick.

Nick had found the pistol and pointed it at the man. "I've got your gun," he said cocking it and smirking.

He fired it off target so that it hit the wall and didn't hurt anyone. The man moved out of the way and grabbed the first child he could, Will. The man then pulled a knife out of one of his pockets, a rusty old thing and put it to Will's neck.

"If you even think of firing that gun again, I'm going to make darn sure that this boy doesn't live to see the next ten minutes."

Nick slowly put the down the pistol and glared at the man.

"That's a good-" was all the man said before Will gave him a swift kick between the legs. He let go of Will and fell to the floor in pain.

"Let's get out of here!" Gabe said, jumping to his feet.

The boys managed to open the door, bolt down the street and didn't stop until they reached the dock.

"Turner," Nick said between taking deep breaths, "that was a mighty fine kick."

"It was nothing," Will said, "it was good luck that you found that gun in time."

"What about me?" Gabe asked with a frown.

"Oh how could we forget the brilliant actor," Nick said while clapping. "_Your brain looks fascinating. _Brain? I don't know where you get it from."

"You looked about ready to take it out of his head yourself," Will added.

"Yeah, well..." Gabe handed Will back the letter and he thanked him with the nod of his head before running to the still awake dock master.

Nick and Gabe waited for him to come back and they both walked him back to the Brown's smithy.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow, Turner?" Gabe asked.

"Just learning more about smithing. Swords and things. Why?"

"Want to come swimming with us?" Gabe asked.

Will stared at them for a few seconds before smiling. "I'd like that."

The boys said their goodbyes, Nick gave Will a hard smack on the shoulder and Will was glad that despite the fact he had likely almost died tonight, he managed to come out unscathed and with the added bonus of two new friends.

* * *

I hope you liked it. Aside from Elizabeth, Will needs some male friends too lol. Sorry if there were any mistakes too. Cookies if you manage to guess who the two characters are based on. Thanks very much for reading.


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